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October 01, 2015

An Egg Yolk a Day keeps the Doctor Away

Many experts agree that cholesterol in certain foods, or the so-called dietary cholesterol, is not really bad for your health. That’s why many people want to learn more about the health benefits of eating egg yolk and why they should avoid egg whites.

As a matter of fact, egg whites are good only for obtaining more proteins, but other than that they are not very nutritious and they can lead to various autoimmune diseases and digestive problems in some people.

The fact is that modern society has prejudice when it comes to saturated fat and cholesterol and this prejudice makes many people stay away from foods found in nature although these foods are packed with nutrients. Take egg yolks for example. They come with fat soluble vitamins like K, E, D and A and carotenoids like zeaxanthin and lutein. In addition, they also have more than 90% of the iron, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, folate, thiamin, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6.

When we make a comparison with egg white, the white lacks most of these nutrients. Whilst it is true that the egg white comes with more protein compared to the yolk, it is also true that the white is much bigger. In addition, we all know that protein should include between 15 and 30% of the caloric intake and the rest should come from animal fats (healthy fats).

It is not advisable to look for sources of proteins that don’t have fat and if we consume only protein we actually use the stores of vitamin A in the system. However, fat can be found in almost all sources of animal protein found in nature.

There is a good reason why there is a high amount of cholesterol found in the egg yolk. In addition to the nutrients found in egg yolk, the animal that should develop from the egg needs cholesterol for proper development. Cholesterol is very important for the future reptile or bird, but it is important for humans too.

It is a predecessor to adult hormones and cholesterol helps many process in every cell found in the body. Many studies have confirmed that dietary cholesterol has positive effect on so called good HDL while sugar (especially fructose) and omega 3 and omega 6 imbalances lead to increased bad LDL and triglycerides.

Arachidonic Acid (AA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA is a form of omega-3 fatty acid that can be used by the body while AA is a form of omega-6 that can be used in a similar way. On the other hand, omega-6 linoleic acid and omega-3 that come from Alpha-linoleic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid need to be modified before the body can use them.

Egg yolks contain AA and DHA. Eating eggs rich in omega-3 is an excellent way to keep omega-3 and omega-6 balance in your body.

What Makes Egg Whites a Bad Choice?

Although modern medicine is making a lot of progress these days, the fact is that most people working in this field are still burdened by some prejudices especially for some foods like butter and eggs. Many nutritionists recommend using only the egg white for example. So, it is no surprise why so many modern children are dealing with ADD and similar problems – just look at their diet.

They eat egg white omelets, cereals and low fat milk in the morning. They are suffering from cholesterol, nutrient and fat deficiency. Even if you take the recommended amount of vitamins, lack of dietary fat will make their absorption very difficult.

In other words, people should become aware of the fact that egg whites can bring more harm than good. The vast majority of living creatures on our planet have defense mechanisms used for survival. For example, plants develop dangerous toxins, animals have legs and teeth.

Legumes and grains often contain toxins and other similar substances which is quite natural. They are still developing and Mother Nature helped them create defense mechanism so they can develop in a proper way. This is the reason why many legumes and grains create health problems in humans and why they are avoided in the popular Paleo diet.

Eggs, unlike most animals, can’t protect their integrity by running or biting and they have to use a similar mechanism like the plants and seeds we have mentioned before. This mechanism is located in the egg white while the yolk is there to support the development.

The egg white comes with 14 proteins and 13 of them have antimicrobial properties. They keep the microbes and viruses away, but they can also affect human health especially in cases when they are taken on a regular basis and in large quantities.

A protein that is harmless in its natural form – lysozyme – has the ability to bind with many proteins including ovomucoid and inhibit trypsin, an enzyme which is focused on digesting proteins. What is even worse, some of the substances found in egg whites can go through the intestinal wall and trigger autoimmune problems or harm the guts.

People who are dealing with autoimmune diseases should definitely stay away from egg whites.

There is another anti-nutrient that is part of the egg white – avidin. It binds to biotin, a form of vitamin B that is responsible for proper fatty acid synthesis and stabilization of blood sugar levels. Avidin inhibits its absorption. If biotin is not doing its job, we can expect problems in the gut and digestive problems.

More than 3% of the world’s population is allergic to egg whites, but only small number of them is allergic to egg yolk too.

Some people say that the process of cooking will remove the effects of most inhibitors and anti-nutrients found in egg whites. However, there are also many people who claim the opposite.

A recent study has shown that avidin keeps its activity (although reduced) after the white is cooked. It is true that cooking can reduce the effects, but this doesn’t make egg whites completely safe. On the other hand, egg yolks can be consumed even raw.

Final Thoughts

The vast majority of people today lack fat soluble vitamins like K2, A, D and E in their system and they would feel much better if they have one or two egg yolks a day. As a matter of fact, egg yolks can be much healthier than apples (who are rich in fructose).

The good cholesterol found in yolks can be very helpful for women experiencing menopause, children, the elderly and people with adrenal issues. It is worth mentioning that egg whites are not very useful and they can even lead to problems in some people.